Jay Cutler's night ended prematurely in the Chicago Bears' 29-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
The Chicago Bears quarterback was ushered to the locker room at the end of the third quarter after suffering a right thumb injury. Cutler had been squeezing his throwing hand after landing on it at the tail-end of a sack earlier in the quarter. He did not return for the remainder of the game after leaving the field.
After the game, Cutler was wearing a cast when he told reporters he will undergo tests Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury.
"I'm concerned," Cutler told reporters. "You know, as a quarterback, you kind of need your right thumb. I think I was 12 or 11 when I had surgery on this thumb, so we'll see what it is."
Journeyman backup Brian Hoyer came on to replace Cutler for the game's final frame.
After an early touchdown drive, Cutler struggled to generate offense in the second and third quarters. His notorious ball security issues surfaced in the second half with his third lost fumble of the season and a careless interception just before he exited with the injury.
Cutler said the interception was caused, in part, by his sore thumb because he was having difficulty gripping the ball.
"I knew that I was putting the team, especially the offense, in jeopardy at that point," Cutler said, "so I had to talk to Rags (quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone) and get Hoyer in there, and I knew my day was done."
It remains to be seen if Cutler will be healthy enough to play Sunday against the Cowboys.
